"Hey Don!"
Detective Don Flack turned and saw Danny Messer walking down the corridor towards him. In his hand, he was waving a sheet of paper.
"Hey Danno." Every time Flack saw him, he felt grateful to see his buddy walking on his own two feet. No long ago, Danny was sitting in a wheelchair, unable to walk. Flack hoped that he would never see that sight again.
"Got a hit," Danny continued. "The fingerprints on the glass. Came back to a Johnny Dobrev. Plumber." He handed the paper to Flack.
Flack read the address on the printout. "Want to go for a ride?" he asked.
Half an hour later, Flack was knocking on the door of an apartment building. Danny looked around him. The floor was covered in aging wooden planks that creaked a little as they walked on it. The walls probably had not been painted since the building was built, evident by all the discoloration and the hand prints left behind by current and previous residents. It looked like the kind of place he lived in. Well, used to live in, he corrected himself. After he married Lindsay, they moved into a place big enough to accommodate a family of three.
Danny heard the door opened. He turned and saw a woman looking at them. She was of slender built, a little on the thin side. Her long blonde hair was neatly tied up in a ponytail. She's probably a few years younger than me, Danny thought.
"Does Johnny Dobrev live here?" Flack asked.
"He's not here," and she moved to close door.
"Hey, wait," Danny put out his hand to hold the door open. With his other hand, he held up his badge. "We're the police."
She looked at him. Danny was stunned by the sadness and fear deep in her eyes but her face gave no hint of her feelings.
Behind him, Flack said "We would like to ask you a few questions about Johnny. May we come in?"
Still displaying no emotions on her face, she opened the door and stood aside to let them in. Stepping in, Danny noticed that everything was clean and tidy. Even though the furniture was old and a little broken, Danny could see areas where it was lovingly patched up. Some handmade cushions and a vase of flowers brightened up the modest room transformed it into a home.
"Can I get you anything?" she was asking them in a voice that was as expressive as her face.
"It's okay," Flack answered. "We won't be staying long. Just a few questions." Flack took out his notebook. "How do we address you?"
She wordlessly sat down and looked down at her hands. "I'm Johnny's wife."
"Okay, Mrs Dobrev, when will your husband be home?" Flack asked.
Mrs Dobrev tugged at the sleeve of her sweater. "Johnny hasn't been home for a few days," she replied hesitantly.
Flack raised his eyebrows. "In that case, where can we find your husband?" was his next question.
"I don't know. Johnny doesn't like it when I ask him about where he goes. He... He has a temper." Her voice dropped to almost a whisper.
Years on the force had taught Danny enough for him to recognize the signs. This woman has an abusive husband, he thought. He glanced over at Flack and from the look on his friend's face, he knew Flack recognized it too.
"What about his workplace?" Danny asked.
"Delta Plumbing. I'm sorry, I only know the name of the company."
"It's okay, it will be easy for us to find out the address," Danny assured her.
"One last question, do you recognize this man?" Flack handed her a photo of the murder victim.
She studied the photo and shook her head. "I'm sorry I don't find him familiar."
"I see. Thank you for your time, Mrs Dobrev," Flack replied and turned to leave. But Danny hung back.
"Mrs Dobrev?"
"Yes?"
Danny plunged right in. "Listen, if your husband is giving you trouble, there are people who can help."
She stood up. "What are you implying?" she replied stiffly.
"Look, you don't have to bear this alone. If your husband is mistreating you, there are places you can seek help."
She gave him a stony gaze. "I think you should leave."
"But..."
"Please go." She turned her back towards Danny.
Danny looked at Flack who gave him a helpless shrug. "Let's go," Flack said. Then in a louder voice, he said, "Thank you Mrs Dobrev. We'll show ourselves out."
Danny looked at Mrs Dobrev's back. Then he took out his namecard and put it down on the coffee table. "Mrs Dobrev," he began awkwardly, "If you need any help, feel free to give my number a call."
There was no reaction from her, it was as if she did not hear him. When Danny turned back to close the door behind him, he saw her still standing there as if she had froze to the spot. He gently closed the door.
"A man of words, aren't you?" Flack commented when the door was closed.
"Look, you've seen her. You recognized those signs. We can't just stand by and do nothing." Danny was frustrated.
"You can't save everyone, Danny." Flack tried to pacify his friend. "We can only help if they let us."
Danny did not reply. In his heart, he knew Flack was right but he still felt that he had to do something to help her. He couldn't let this one go, something should be done to help her get out of this unhappy marriage.
Once outside, Danny took out his mobile and called the lab. "Hey Adam, can you check up the address of this Delta Plumbing? I'll hold." In the background, he could hear Adam typing away. In a moment, he had the answer. Danny signaled to Flack to pass him the notebook. "Yes? Yes, got it." He scribbled the address down in the notebook and handed it back to Flack. "Let's pay a visit to the plumbers."